


Curses and Chains

by Alec_and_Alyssa_Moon (orphan_account)



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Bill Cipher is a Jerk, Captain Bill Cipher, Fae! Dipper, Human Bill Cipher, MAGICAL ITEM QUEST, Magical Accidents, Magical Artifacts, Magical Tattoos, Multi, Older! Dipper, One-Sided Attraction, Past Relationship(s), Underage Rape/Non-con
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-16
Updated: 2016-06-20
Packaged: 2018-06-08 08:17:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6846709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Alec_and_Alyssa_Moon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Semi-inspired by EmberGlows and HyruleHalfbreed's fic, "In Irons and Gold." Trying to look for a way to break his curse, Dipper ends up being captured by the infamous Captain Bill Cipher. Not realizing that they're looking for the same thing- not that Dipper ever really plans on telling him- Bill and his co-captain (and former lover) force Dipper to help them find what they're all looking for. The clock is ticking as they only have three months to get what they want or else wait another hundred years, along with being pursued by both the navy and another ship on a quest for the exact same thing, it's a race to the finish.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Eta

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [In Irons and Gold](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5318300) by [EmberGlows](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmberGlows/pseuds/EmberGlows), [Hyrulehalfbreed](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hyrulehalfbreed/pseuds/Hyrulehalfbreed). 



> Alyssa- Hi there! This story is from me and my twin! We kinda write everything together, nice to have someone to double-check and bounce ideas off. Anyways, we both LOVE Gravity Falls and totally love AUs and OCs, so this story is awesome. We're also working on another story called "Revivisco," so we'll let you know when that comes out!
> 
> Alec- I happen to be the much more calm twin. Also the one that will probably end up answering people's comments. Trust me, my sis is kind of a handful. But anyways, the story "In Irons and Gold" seriously inspired this fic, although we've taken a serious twist or two with it. Hope you enjoy

The SS Mindscape. An enigma, to be sure, the only pirate ship- the only ship ever, really- to be manned by two captains instead of one. The prevailing belief among sailors was along the lines of two captains would never agree enough to get anything done- especially on a pirate ship- and females were bad luck. The Mindscape was an enigma for sure, surrounded by myths and legends, captained by two people- William “Bill” Cipher and a woman named Nebula “Butterfly” (although only five people even knew about her nickname and only Bill knew where it came from) Xylia.

  
Captain Xylia was rumored to be half-siren, with a body eternally youthful, a voice that could charm anyone, and fearsome in battle to boot. Captain Cipher was also quite deadly, but in a different way. While also attractive, he was also rumored to be a psychopath and a sadist, chaotic and unpredictable in a fight, with a “leave no one alive” policy. They were also rumored to be searching for something, what it was no one knew exactly. Some claimed the pair were ghosts, cursed to roam the seas, causing chaos until they could find what they were looking for and be at peace.

  
And the crew was just as legendary. Many claimed that the entire crew was cursed, that most of them weren’t even human- monsters and creatures out of nightmare.

  
This is who the faerie known as Dipper Pines found himself among that evening. He didn’t know much about humans, wasn’t planning on ever needing to deal with them. He’d just been trying to teleport to an island in the middle of the ocean so he could begin assembling the Sonaria so he could get rid of his stupid curse, that prevented him from lying when asked a question. Thankfully it was only when responding to a question, and he could chose to not tell the full truth or not respond at all- if he could resist the pull of the curse itself. Poor Mabel felt really guilty about accidentally cursing him like that.

  
But instead of landing on Tentabis, the island he was aiming for, he ended up on someplace else. He had no idea where- and seriously panicked when he realized he had no idea where he was (sooooo glad Stan and Mabel couldn’t see him, or anyone else), just that it wasn’t what he was looking for. He had decided to sit on the beach as he worked on gathering up his energy so he could retry the teleportation spell once more, drawing and writing whatever came to mind in the sand. Of course, this took a lot longer than he’d expected. Eventually he was exhausted due to not being able to find any food, and his magic was nowhere near replenished, barely enough to produce a simple flame, much less get himself off that godforasken island.

  
The afternoon of the second day he saw a large wooden… thing, on the horizon. He had no idea what it was, and had no plans on finding out. So he quickly ran into the trees, climbing one and deciding to wait until it passed to do anything.

  
A couple hours later the large wooden thing was even closer and a much smaller wooden object was coming even closer to the island, with several… moving things on it. As they got closer Dipper’s eyes widened, realizing what the moving things were. Humans.

  
He’d been told horrible things about humans ever since he was little. They were nasty, selfish and cruel, they would hunt fae for fun and rip them apart to give to other people or use for personal gain. They were superstitious and would likely kill or imprison any faerie they happened to come across. So he’d be in big trouble if they found him, although he was too dazed to think of anything better than simply hide in the tree and hope no one looked up.

  
The humans made their way onto the island lugging a large wooden chest. Well, three of them were- a lanky one with raven hair, a short and stocky one with teal hair, and a thin one with blue grey hair. There was one human -a blonde who had one eye covered- who appeared to be the leader, barking orders at the others.

  
What Dipper didn’t realize was that he was seeing Captain Bill Cipher ordering a part of his crew to bury some of their treasure for safekeeping. Bill and Nebula had found the island ages ago and came to either bury or retrieve some of their treasure every so often, whenever they rose above or dropped below a certain amount.

  
“Stitch heart, you bury the thing,” the blonde ordered. “Come on, into the trees!” He was far ahead of the others, finding a spot before putting all his weight against the trunk of the very tree Dipper had been hiding in. The tree wasn’t as strong as either had thought, the sudden added weight making the tree shake a bit, just enough to knock Dipper out of the tree and onto Bill.

  
Dipper sat up, dazed and not quite understanding what had just happened. Bill, on the other hand, understood that someone had fallen on top of him and that that someone happened to have wings. Before Dipper could react Bill shouted, “Yo Kryptos! Grab me Nebula’s box, I found a new pet!”

  
“I’m not your pet, human,” Dipper growled. Unfortunately he was still too weak to use much magic against the human, otherwise he would’ve tried to get free using some other method besides trying to struggle out of the man’s iron grip.

  
“Of course you are,” the man said softly, sending shivers down Dipper’s spine. “I am Captain Bill Cipher, feared by all who know of me, respected by those who serve me, and a collector of the strange and unusual. And I always get what I want.”


	2. Theta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper ends up on the Mindscape, and plans for the faerie are revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alyssa~ Hi guys! We're on a roll here! Not sure how long it'll last, but have another chapter! Muah! Hey, did you know Smile Dip is a real thing? I totally want to try some! Wow, people are already reading this? Super cool!

The human with blue grey hair appeared a little bit later carrying a wooden chest with runic symbols. The blonde smirked, chuckling as a pair of shackles were lifted out. “Are these the ones you wanted?” the blue-grey one asked. “There’s a bunch of stuff in here.”

“Yes, Kryptos. That’s the one.” His grin widened. “You boy mothers ever tell ya of faeries and iron?” Dipper started to struggle even more at the mention of the dreaded metal. He’d heard about what iron did to faeries, it burned worse than anything, it weakened their bodies, made them unable to use magic, left them defenseless. If anyone came looking for him, the iron would block their magic from ever finding him, much less allow them to free him without the help of an outsider. Dipper bucked and kicked, trying even harder to break free. He landed a few blows  on his captor’s chest and shins, but it didn’t seem to do much. He could feel his hands being brought forward and closer together, being held still before the shackles were locked around his slender wrists. The key was placed on an iron chain and slipped around his captor’s neck.

The sensation was unlike anything he’d ever been told about, not like the stories they’d heard as children or even Ford’s explanations and warnings. It burned worse than if he’d stuck his hand directly into a cooking fire, and made his entire body feel like it was made of something even heavier than lead. He cried out before going limp in the human’s arms, struggling even to keep his eyes open.

“I suggest we get back to the ship,” a female voice said. “The fae looks on the verge of death, and I believe Captain Nebula may want to see your catch.”

“Agreed,” Bill said, giddy and feeling light. He felt like he had gotten an amazing stroke of luck, and not simply because fae were so rare. There weren’t any reported sightings of one in about 200 years, but that wasn’t the only reason getting a fae was so wonderful for him. “Back to the ship!” he shouted.

They all made their way back to the ship. It wasn’t until they were almost there that Bill noticed the boy trembling in his arms. “Not like the ocean? Or afraid of what I’m going to do to you?”

“I-it’s just water,” the boy quivered. He remembered that telling humans anything about his kind was a bad idea. Letting the man know that faeries and water don’t exactly mix was a terrible idea.

“Uh-huh. Right,” the man’s smirk grew even wider, their boat getting pulled up onto the ship, the Mindscape, his home. 

They’d barely stepped back onto the Mindscape when a dagger whizzed through the air, embedding itself in the railing next to him. A warning from someone they really didn’t want to piss off. Someone leaning against the railing of the forecastle, lazily playing with the four other knives in her hands. “Would someone tell me who had the absolutely  _ brilliant idea  _ to sneak into my room and grab my special box?” she asked. Her voice was calm, but dripping with fury at the same time. “Sneaking into my room is bad enough, but taking something I treasure-” Another knife flew at them, this time landing between the feet of one of the pirates, who stepped back nervously.

“I told them to, Butterfly,” Bill said. Most thought she got her nickname from the butterfly pendant she wore, but in reality it was because Bill had found the woman trying to free a butterfly caught in a spider's web. He shoved her, she kicked his ass into next week, and the rest, as they say, was history.

She cracked her knuckles. Bill was in the middle of the group, so she couldn’t see what he was carrying. “And why would that be?”

“I happened to stumble across a fae.” He stepped to the front of the group so the woman could see what he’d caught.

The woman raised an eyebrow. Only Bill noticed how she tensed slightly. “I see.” She straightened, walking towards the steps down to the main deck. “Well then, bring the faerie to the navigation room when you think he’s ready to talk, and be sure to feed the creature. Oh, and make sure my box ends up in my room before sundown.” She looked at them, flashing a deadly grin that made everyone shudder before climbing up to the quarterdeck and into the navigation room.

“You heard her, get some food and drink for our new friend and for the devil’s sake, get that box back into her room before she kills someone!” Bill shouted.

“Aye, Captain!” the crew on deck shouted before scurrying to work. 

Bill strode into his quarters before dumping the fae onto the bed rather unceremoniously. The fae yelped as he landed on his wings. The man started to undress, Dipper looking away quickly. The blonde chuckled. “Never seen a naked body before?” he said, leaning over so his bare chest was right in front of Dipper’s face. The boy tried to squirm away- rather unsuccessfully, as he was up against the wall and in between Bill’s arms. “Scared? You should be. My partner and I had some plans made for if we ever caught us a fae. Big plans, kiddo.”

“I’m not a kid,” Dipper huffed, crossing his arms.

Bill raised an eyebrow before bursting out laughing. “Oh yeah? You look  _ maybe  _ fourteen, and that’s me being generous!”

Dipper scowled. “I am far older than you, human. Even by the human equivalent, I am no child.”

Still laughing, Bill shook his head. “Whatever you say.” He paused. “By the way, what’s your name?”

Dipper could feel the pull of the curse, the blasted thing that got him into this mess in the first place. He knew that since Bill didn’t specify his  _ true  _ name, he didn’t have to give that one. Good thing too, because then the human could have the faerie at his beck and call. “Dipper,” he said, giving the name most used for him.

“Dipper?” Bill said, a bit startled at the unusual name. Then again, he supposed fae probably had strange names, so…

There was a knock on the door before Bill could say anything else. “Enter,” Bill called.

A rather large man-child walked into the room with a tray of food and a pitcher of water. He looked at Dipper. “My name’s Soos. Are you okay, kid?”

Bill grinned, pulling Dipper into his lap. “He’s just  _ fine,”  _ the captain answered for Dipper. “Right, Dipper?” His voice had a rather menacing edge to it, as he squeezed the boy uncomfortably tight. Dipper nodded quickly, and the man loosened his hold. Just slightly.

After eating- Dipper had been forced to let Bill hand-feed him unless he wanted to go hungry- Bill gave Dipper a quick once-over before saying. “Okay, time to go.” Before Dipper could ask the burning question of “Where?”, he was scooped up into the blonde’s arms.

“Put me down!” Dipper protested, struggling to get out of the man’s grasp.

“Quit squirming, kid. Do you want me to drop you?”

It was like this all the way to the Navigation Room. 

Once there, he finally let go of Dipper, the boy falling hard onto the floor. “Brought the fae,” Bill said.

“I’m sure you’ve learned his name by now,” Nebula said, not looking up from the maps she was reading. “What is it?”

“Dipper.”

Nebula raised an eyebrow at that. “I see.” She set down the papers, standing from her chair. “Take off his shirt. There’s something I need to see. You can replace the cuffs afterwards, I’ll tear his wings off if he tries to escape.” Dipper shuddered at the threat.

Bill lifted the boy’s arms, unlocking the cuffs and quickly slipping the shirt off the boy before replacing the metal bands. Dipper winced at the pain the cuffs gave him, but resolved not to scream this time. Bill didn’t lock Dipper’s wrists together this time, surprisingly.

“What’s this?” Bill asked, staring at the fae’s chest.  _ Please don’t be able to read it,  _ Dipper silently begged.

“So there  _ is  _ something,” Nebula said coolly, walking over to Dipper. She pulled him into a sitting position- she was a lot more gentle than Bill had been. She tilted her head, looking at the markings on Dipper’s chest. “Ah, a truth spell.”

“A truth spell? What kind?” Bill asked, crouching next to the woman to more closely inspect the runes.

“The kind of truth spell that makes him unable to lie when asked a question,” Nebula said. “But he doesn’t have to tell everything, and he doesn’t have to answer the question.” She stood, walking over to another chest, pulling out a set of bamboo needles and a bottle of softly glowing ink. “We’re going to need to change that to get what we want.”

“What do you want from me?” Dipper asked. There was a reason for his capture.

Nebula grinned, but it wasn’t a sincere one. “We’re looking for Somnius, and you’re going to help us find it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alec- Aaaand I really need to hide the sugar from my twin sister. And some other things. Well, hope you liked the chapter, and the introduction of our OC, Nebula. Kind of violent when mad, isn't she? Then again, Bill's not really much different.
> 
> Alyssa- Poor Dipper. Tattoos hurt. I should know, since I have one. Then again, a tattoo with a bamboo needle (how it was traditionally done in Asia) would have to hurt a hell of a lot more.


	3. Omicron

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An oracle gives Bill a cryptic warning, which Nebula decides they don't need to worry about too much

Nebula glanced at Bill. “Now hold him flat on the floor and make sure he doesn’t squirm. I can’t make any mistakes here.” Dipper roughly was shoved onto his stomach, arms and legs pinned to the ground. “I need his arm,” Nebula said. Bill held the boy’s arm still so tightly it hurt. Nebula dipped one of the needles into the ink before dragging it along his skin, digging into it and leaving ink in it’s wake. Dipper screamed at the pain, it felt like she was trying to skin him alive. She continued to write on his arm, blood mixing with the ink and surprisingly not dripping onto the floor, stopping only to refill the needle with more ink. The torture seemed to go on forever until she finally said “You can let him go now, Bill.”

Bill complied, his vice-like grip finally lessened. “So what now?” 

“The ink is dry, but the boy looks like he needs some rest.” She gave Bill a once-over. “You both do, actually,” she said, startling Dipper. To him Bill looked strong, healthy and well-rested. He didn’t seem tired at all. Or did humans act different from fae when they’re tired?

Bill shrugged. “So?”

Nebula shook her head. “Bandage the boy’s arms so they don’t get infected, get some rest, and make sure the fae gets some sleep, too. I’ll question him about Somnius after breakfast.” Bill nodded, scooping Dipper up again and carrying him back to Bill’s room. 

Dipper was deposited on the bed once more, Bill starting to undress once more- this time even his pants came off. He got onto the bed, reaching for Dipper’s shirt. The boy shied away, not wanting to feel exposed again in front of the man. The man moved forward, Dipper being pushed into a corner. The blonde grinned as he held Dipper down to strip away his clothes. The fae curled up into a ball. “What are you going to do to me?” he whispered. 

“What Nebula said- I’m going to bandage your arms and then we’re going to sleep.” He walked into another room- a bathroom, reappearing with bandages. He yanked one of Dipper’s arms away from him, wrapping it in the cloth before doing the same to his other arm.  He then laid down in bed, pulling Dipper down with him.

**********

Bill’s eyes snapped open in the middle of the night, hearing the door to his cabin open slowly. Doing a quick check to make sure that, yes, the fae was still in bed with him and fast asleep, he stealthily got up to see who had dared to sneak into his quarters. 

He was greeted by a pair of glowing violet eyes. “тнє נσυяηєу ωιℓℓ яєα¢н ιт'ѕ єη∂ ωнєη αη αℓℓу вє¢σмєѕ αη єηєму.”

“Shit,” Bill hissed. “It’s happening again. 

Bill and Nebula had been cursed as teens. Both had eternal youth (the reason Nebula looked 21 and Bill still looked 16), Bill’s came at the cost of never being able to go more than a day’s ride inland (distance traveled on horseback), and Nebula’s came with visions of the future she could never predict the onset of nor remember. During this she lost almost all emotion- beyond anger and fear- and often became pretty violent. Her predictions were often quite cryptic, laced with hidden meanings.

He approached the woman cautiously. He lost an eye during her last “episode,” and was obviously quite wary of the woman. He reached out to touch her shoulder and she reacted instantly, slender hands wrapped around his throat before he could even blink. "уσυ ωιℓℓ вяιηg тнιѕ υρση υѕ. ¢υт нιѕ ωιηgѕ αη∂ ωє ωιℓℓ ƒαℓℓ. ¢υт нιѕ ωιηgѕ αη∂ ωє ωιℓℓ ƒαℓℓ," she snarled.

“Teardrop, it’s me!” he choked out, wrenching her hands away and pinning her to the wall. “What do you mean?” She was staring at his hands on his wrist.

"∂єαтн. мα∂ηєѕѕ. ησ σηє тσ тяυѕт, тяυѕт ησ σηє," she muttered. The Seer looked at the blonde. "ησ σηє вυт тнєм."

“Who on earth are you talking about?”

"αℓℓ ωιℓℓ тυяη вυт тнє σηє уσυ ¢αℓℓ ѕιѕтєя αη∂ тнє вσу. ρяσтє¢т тнє вσу."

“What boy?” Bill asked. “The one you call sister” was obviously Nebula, he’d referred to her as his sister ever since they were children. But who was the boy?

She didn’t give him a straight answer. "ρяσтє¢т тнє вσу. ℓσѕє нιм αη∂ αℓℓ ιѕ ℓσѕт ƒσяєνєя. ρяσтє¢т тнє вσу. ρяσтє¢т тнє вσу. нє нσℓ∂ѕ уσυя ℓιƒє ιη нιѕ нαη∂ѕ. ρяσтє¢т тнє вσу," she chanted, speaking in a tone that sent shivers down Bill’s spine. 

“Who is the boy?” Bill asked, letting her go with the hope that she wouldn’t attack him again. 

Nebula pointed at the fae sleeping in Bill’s bed. 

"Нιм." She promptly passed out. Bill didn’t get any sleep that night after he carried his co-captain to bed.

*********

Even though he was wide awake when the first rays of light crept into the cabin, Bill had his eyes closed, as it was easier to think about what Nebula had said. It would appear that he had to worry about a mutiny- a very messy one, at that. His entire crew, against him? That was something he found hard to believe. Unlike many pirate ships, his crew was fiercely loyal and none that served him had ever turned on him.

It was strange feeling the fae against his chest. Hair of another tickling his chin he was used to, Nebula having slept with him after a nightmare numerous times when they were younger, although Dipper had very soft hair. What was odd was the fluttering of the boy’s wings against his chest. It tickled, but just a bit. The boy was still asleep, he seemed to be a pretty deep sleeper- if the fact that all of the events of a few hours ago hadn’t even caused the boy to stir.

He decided to do something a bit impulsive and kissed the back of Dipper’s head before getting out of bed. He got dressed and left to speak to Nebula, not bothering to lock the door behind him. The fae was helpless- bound as he was, and it’s not like he could get far even if he tried to run.

He found the young woman in the kitchen, half-awake and eating breakfast. “‘Ey, Cap’n,” she said, looking up at him. She winced, noticing how tired he was, something no one else could see. “Did you even sleep at all last night?”

“I got a couple hours,” he said. “Then you had a vision that I’m still trying to decipher.”

“Oh? What was it?”

Bill explained to her what had happened. Nebula shrugged. “Don’t see why you’re trying to decipher it. Just don’t cut the faerie’s wings off and we’re all safe.”

* * *

 

_Translations (For those who can't understand Nebula when she's seeing the future):_

_"The journey will reach it's end when an ally becomes an enemy."_

_"You will bring this upon us. Cut his wings and we will fall. Cut his wings and we will fall."_

_"Death. Madness. No one to trust, trust no one. No one but them."_

_"All will turn except the one you call sister and the boy. Protect the boy."_

_"Protect the boy. Lose the boy and all is lost forever. Protect the boy. Protect the boy. He holds your life in his hands. Protect the boy."                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   "Him."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alec- Hey, all. Sorry it's been so long since the last time we updated, there didn't seem to be too much interest in the story. 
> 
> Alyssa~ YEP! With more fun! 
> 
> Alec- Now, if we can keep this up and get another chapter out within a reasonable amount of time....


	4. Lambda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper makes a deal with Nebula

Dipper woke up to the sound of a door slamming shut. At first he was disoriented and confused, then he remembered what had happened the day before. His first thought was fear. Both Nebula and Bill seemed to be very violent, dangerous beings who would likely torture him for the smallest slip-up.

His first idea was to run. Find some way to escape and get as far away from them as possible. That was overruled because 1) he didn’t know the layout of the ship at all, 2) there seemed to be a lot of humans on that ship and they all worked for the insane pair, and most importantly, 3) he was surrounded by deep water. So escape was pretty much a bad idea.

Dipper was in the middle of trying to figure out what he was going to do instead when the door flew open and Bill walked in, Dipper letting out a small yelp in surprise.

The blonde captain walked into the room, snickering at the fae’s reaction and setting the tray of food on the table. He looked around the room to see that nothing had been disturbed before moving closer to the fae (who was visibly scared- a very good thing) and kissing him on the forehead. “That’s how you’re supposed to greet your master,” he said.

“You’re not my master,” Dipper protested. There was a loud smacking sound as Bill slapped Dipper’s cheek. Pretty hard.

Dipper looked back at the man, shock evident on his face. Bill yanked the boy’s wrist. “Do you see these shackles, fae?” he spat. “I  _ own  _ you. You’re my property. Understand?”

The boy nodded. “Y-yes, Master,” he said quietly.

“Good! Now let’s eat before I drag you over to Butterfly!”

*********

Bill didn’t stay long in the navigation room that time, just long enough to roughly shove the fae inside and slam the door behind the boy.

He landed on his face. Dipper sat up, rubbing his forehead and looking around. He was alone.

The fae looked around the room, not having gotten the chance to yesterday. A large wooden table sat close to the massive windows, it’s surface littered with papers covered in strange drawings. That was where Nebula had been yesterday. There was a smaller table along one wall that had some odd looking tools. 

But it was what was on the opposite wall that really caught Dipper’s attention. A very long bookshelf was a part of the wall itself, taking up a good chunk of the wall. Various items lined the shelves- a lot of books, but also vials of strange liquids, jars with plants he’d never seen, odd tools and items whose purpose he could only wonder at.

One item in particular caught his attention. A crystal ball sat on a small stone pedestal. At first it appeared to be clear, but then the ball started to radiate a soft purple light. The light formed petal-like wings, growing and spreading. The orb was calling to him silently, a song without words, begging him to come closer, to come into the light. He reached out, about to touch one of the wings with his finger-

All of a sudden, a black box fell over the orb. The lightshow stopped, along with the glass ball’s call. Dipper blinked, snapped out of the trance.

His gaze slowly moved from the hand on the box up to it’s owner. Nebula. She didn’t seem…  _ too  _ angry. More worried than anything else. 

“Don’t touch anything in this room or in my cabin unless I say so. And don’t say anything smart, like ‘What about the floor?’” She warned.

Dipper nodded. “Yes, Mistress.” She’d want him to call her something like that, right? After all, he was supposed to call Bill “Master.”

Nebula cringed. “Don’t call  me Mistress. I mean, I even hate the title ‘Captain,’ ‘specially since I’m really just Bill’s navigator. Course, I can take down almost anyone on this ship, and it means that someone Bill 100% trusts is in control whenever the idiot gets himself out of commission.”

“So, then what do I call you?”

“Nebula, child. My name.”

“Okay.”

She crouched a bit to look Dipper in the eye. “Listen, you can either make this really hard on you and me, or make it really easy and painless. So I’m gonna offer you a deal- you answer my questions without beating around the bush or keeping things vague (something I still couldn’t undo), and I undo your truth curse after all this is over. I’ll even tell you something about one item on the shelf every day.”

Dipper’s eyes widened. “You can do that?”

“Yep! One time Bill was foolish enough to tick off a witch’s daughter by lying to her, so he got a truth curse placed on him. Really bad for pirates like us, so I had to find some way to undo it.”

Dipper was about to say “Yes, I’ll agree to that!” but then he hesitated. How did he know this woman would keep up her end of the bargain? Could he really trust her? And why did they need  _ him  _ to help them find this “Somnius” thing, anyways?

He sighed internally. It wasn’t like he had much of a choice, she’d probably stab him or throw on more iron or something if he said no. “Okay. I’ll go along with your deal.”

She grinned, extending her hand. “C’mon. Us humans shake hands to complete the deal.”

“Fine.” The pair shook hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alec- we edited and revised some parts of the story, so go back and re-read it if it doesn't make sense.
> 
> Alyssa~ Hi everyone! Sorry it's been so long, we've had finals and doctor appointments and our most dangerous spirit to date! It left loooong parallel scratches on my arm this time and started messing with my candles. We had to go a bit more hardcore on the banishing this time.
> 
> Alec- and that was a week after Alyssa's doctor appointment, when we learned just how rough 2016 has been on her body. A lot of stuff's happened this year, which we'll probably talk about in the notes for a different story.
> 
> Alyssa~ Oh! And we now have a blog! Well, two blogs, really. A personal blog, and a gravity falls blog!
> 
> Personal: http://twinsofthebloodmoon.tumblr.com/
> 
> Gravity Falls: http://starfallaus.tumblr.com/


	5. Kaleidescopic Andalusite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper and Nebula set to work trying to locate Somnius. When they get a solid lead, the crew celebrates and Dipper has a strange dream.

On the first day Dipper realized that Somnius and Sonaria were the exact same thing. He also realized that the description of said artefact was seriously vague, along with the locations of the eight pieces that had been scattered across the human realm. Nebula seemed frustrated at this, but at the same time happy that she had more information than before to go on. What was more frustrating was the fact that Dipper could read in his native tongue pretty fluently and understand fae maps with ease, but was clueless about human maps and the written form of their language. So, Nebula also ended up teaching him how to understand these things.

On the second day, Bill added an iron collar and earring to the boy’s attire. His body felt so heavy, weighed down with the binding metal.

On the fourth day, Nebula took off his iron bindings. All of them. Dipper stared at her in shock. “You- you just-”

She sighed. “This deal requires trust. And I’m going to trust you not to try anything stupid, and that you know I am fully capable of ripping off your wings if you give me any trouble.”

“What about Bill?” Dipper had been pretty resistant to the blonde’s orders, often earning him a slap. Or a slice of the man’s knife, when he “forgot” to call the captain “Master.”

Nebula shrugged. “I tend to stay out of what Bill does, unless he drags me into it. Your relationship with Bill is between you and him, and I will not interfere unless I am forced to. On that note, you can only keep out of your irons when you  are either up here in the Navigation Room, or down below in my quarters.” There was a trap door in the Navigation Room that gave quick access to the woman’s room. Dipper had been sent down there on multiple occasions to grab an item of the navigator’s.

Dipper nodded, understanding.

**********

It had been eight days on the ship.  Eight days of Dipper waking up in Bill’s arms, either being spoon-fed by the blonde or forced to do some other ritual; spending the rest of the morning with Nebula as they poured over various books, maps and ancient texts for clues about Somnius that would aid their search (it was a lot easier now that Nebula had a better idea of what they were looking for); then sending the remainder of the day with Bill. Dipper now had a pretty good idea of the ship’s layout and knew almost all of the crew by name at this point. Soos was really nice to him, and so was Nebula. Wendy- the first mate- tended to either be polite and pretty nice to Dipper, and Xanthar- the second mate- pretty much ignored him.

That day Dipper had spent the entire time with Nebula. They were getting close, so Bill had made an exception. It had been really nice, Nebula had let Dipper fly around the room a bit when they decided to take a break at one point.

It was nearing sunset now. Nebula leaned back in her chair. “Well, I think we have enough information by this point that we can get started.”

“But, we don’t know the exact locations of any of the items!” Dipper protested.

“But we  _ do  _ have a very good idea of the general location. We’ll start heading in the direction of the closest piece, and refine our search as the trip progresses.” Nebula hummed thoughtfully. “Though we’re gonna need to get supplies first, the trip will take roughly three months. And the nearest port is three weeks out…”

She stood suddenly. “Put on your irons, Dipper. I’m gonna talk to Bill, and I’m taking you along.”

Dipper nodded, sliding on all of his restraints before following the woman to where Bill sat on a throne a bit behind the wheel.

Bill and Nebula talked for a while, speaking in voices too low for Dipper to understand, even with his above-human hearing. Nebula was grinning when Bill got off his throne and made his way to the railing. “Oi, bastards!” he shouted. Dipper winced at the loud, harsh tone. “I have an announcement to make!”

The crew looked up at their captain. “Our twelve-year quest has reached a new point! We now have the keys to locating Somnius, the end to all of our curses!” They all cheered, a deafening sound that made Dipper cover his ears. “Tomorrow we begin to head to port to stock up, then we begin our journey! But tonight, we celebrate!”

Dipper watched as barrels and bottles of some strange liquid known as rum was brought up. Some of the crewmates pulled out strange instruments and started to play. The music was unlike anything he’d heard at home, this was wild and chaotic, with a fast beat and unleashing a kaleidoscope of emotions inside of him.

Bill had told him to stay near the throne, chaining him in place to make sure he stayed put. But the chain was long enough, at least, to let him sit near the railing where he could watch what was going on below. 

It was strange, seeing what the drink did to the pirates. It made them even rowdier than normal, but also less steady on their feet. When they sang along to the music, their voices were off-key and the words were slurred or some were skipped over.

A particularly wild and upbeat song started up, with no vocals this time. Bill and Nebula made their way over to each other before dancing together, bodies intertwined in a dizzingly fast-paced- almost frantic- wild dance. 

Dipper watched as the pair spun, laughing. Most of the crew stopped dancing to watch, many either stomping or clapping to the beat. Occasionally an excited “Hup, Hey!” would ripple through the crowd. 

Eventually the song ended, as all songs do, and the dynamic pair parted and the drunken singing and wild dancing resumed.

“Jeez, not even letting you enjoy the party?” A voice huffed beside him, startling the fae. “Bill sure keeps you on a tight leash, eh?”

Dipper look over to see Nebula standing next to him, leaning against the railing as she watched the drunken party unfold. Wait a second, she was just on the main deck a few seconds ago, right?

Nebula laughed at the boy’s shocked expression so hard she doubled over. When she’d finally calmed down the teal-haired woman grinned, pointing at the rigging. “I climb a lot faster than I walk. I could show you how sometime, if you’d like.”

Dipper nodded eagerly.

“Why aren’t you down with everyone else?” he asked a few seconds later.

She shrugged. “Kinda hard to enjoy yourself when bitter memories are running through your head like a stampede of wild horses.”

Dipper nodded- not quite understanding the metaphor but, whatever- and yawned. Nebla chuckled. “You sleepy? Why don’t we get you to bed, eh? You can sleep in my cabin tonight.”

Dipper yawned again. “Okay,” he said sleepily. Nebula scooped him up, careful of his gossamer wings, and carried him into her cabin. 

The cabin was furnished with a chaise lounge and short table, a large wooden chest, a cabinet that held a smaller wooden box and a number of trinkets, a bookshelf (which took up much less of the wall than the one in the room above them), and a writing desk. Large windows covered much of two walls, decorated with stained glass and accompanied by cushioned window seats. 

There was also both a bed and a hammock. Nebula said that was because she preferred hammocks over regular beds, but the bed was pretty well secured to the floor and it wouldn’t be worth the effort to remove.

“Bet you’ll want the hammock,” Nebula said. “I’ll take the bed later tonight, but there’s some paperwork I need to deal with first.”

Dipper fell asleep quickly, the rocking of the hammock lulling him to sleep.

Sadly, Dipper’s dreams were anything but peaceful that night.

_ Fire. Fire surrounded the fae, consuming the room he was in. He raced to the door, throwing it open- _

_ And fell into the sky. He tried to flap his wings to slow his rapid descent, but it didn’t work. The boy reached back to touch his wings, but they were gone. _

_ Dipper fell into the ocean, sinking slowly but fast all at the same time. He struggled against the water’s crushing weight, trying to reach the surface once more, but he couldn’t . Just when he thought he was about to die, a hand grabbed his wrist and yanked him up- _

_ Into a long dark hallway where he was alone. The brunette looked around and saw a shadowy mass at one end of the hallway, the end closest to him.  _

_ “Dipper Pines.” The voice seemed to come from the shadows. It was cold and menacing, far scarier than anything the fae had ever imagined. “Come to me, boy.” _

_ “No!” Dipper cried, running away from the shadow. Black tentacles shot out of the mass, chasing Dipper through the hallway. One of them grabbed his ankle, dragging him back towards certain doom. _

“No!” Dipper shouted, thrashing around to break free of his bindings (the blanket he was under). He tumbled out of the hammock, landing face-first on the floor. The fae started crying, more from sheer terror than from pain. 

Nebula was next to him in seconds. “Dipper! What happened? Are you okay?” She paused, putting two and two together. “Did you have a nightmare?”

Dipper nodded, still sobbing. The woman scooped him up into her arms and carried him over to the bed where she sat there, rocking the boy and humming a soft tune. 

The navigator started to sing a lullaby, her voice soft and light like clouds on a sunny day or a warm, comforting blanket.

_ “Lavender’s blue, dilly dilly, _

_ Lavender’s green _

_ When you are King, dilly dilly _

_ I shall be queen. _

 

_ “Lavender’s blue, dilly dilly, _

_ Lavender’s green, _

_ You must love me, dilly dilly _

_ For I love you _

 

_ “This I must say, dilly dilly _

_ And it is true, _

_ You must love me, dilly dilly,  _

_ Cuz I love you _

 

_ “Who told you so, dilly dilly _

_ Who told you so, _

_ Twas my own heart, dilly dilly,  _

_ That told me so _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alec- that sure was fun to write.
> 
> Alyssa~ I liked the lullaby. I wrote my own lullaby over spring break, but this one's cool!
> 
> The song Bill and Alyssa danced to: [Wild Celtic Violin](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2tj_zC_XX4)
> 
> The Lullaby Nebula sang to Dipper: [Lavender's Blue](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bunc9AaHRmI)


End file.
